Article: UPDATING ALUMINUM WIRING CAN REDUCE CERTAIN HAZARDS.(Lifestyles/Spotlight)

Byline: Ken Moon

My youngest son called me to complain that the lights in his bedroom no longer worked and that one plug was buzzing. He'd pulled that outlet free and noticed a burn mark at one terminal and that the wire was gray.

He'd discovered - thankfully with no harm done - the hazards of aluminum wiring.

In the '60s, when Vietnam War demand for copper drove up the price of this most common house wire, many builders switched to aluminum wiring. If your place was built between 1965 and 1975, you may have some.

Specifically, be concerned about aluminum wiring in the small, branch lighting circuits to plugs, switches and lights. (We ...

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